Chapter 192: Gu Tingxiao is Weak in front of His Wife
If neither their son nor their daughter went back, wouldn’t Mr. and Mrs. Sheng be completely left to themselves for the holidays?
“Wanyan, I won’t actively participate in the heavy drills,” Gu Tingxiao reassured her. “I’ll just oversee the men and keep an eye on things.”
Hearing this, how could Sheng Wanyan possibly disagree? She missed Rongcheng and desperately wanted to visit her parents as well. “We’ll see how your arm is doing when the time comes.”
Gu Tingxiao nodded obediently. Once Sheng Wanyan finished dressing his wounds, he settled down to sleep.
He fell into a deep, heavy slumber that night. Because of his injuries, he couldn’t wrap his arms around her like he usually did, but he kept his good hand clamped tightly over hers, as if terrified she might vanish if he let go. He was so utterly exhausted that he even began to snore—a habit he never normally had. Looking at the deep, dark circles bruising the skin under his eyes, Wanyan simply hoped this rest would give his body the chance it needed to recuperate.
The next morning, Gu Tingxiao surprisingly slept in past her. Sheng Wanyan checked the watch on the nightstand and saw it was already nine o’clock.
Carefully sliding her fingers out of his tight grip, she slipped out of bed, changed into her clothes for the day, and went to wash up and start breakfast. She chose a light blue dress and wove her hair into a neat fishtail braid.
The moment she stepped out of the bedroom, Gu Tingxiao woke up. He caught a glimpse of her leaving, the corners of his mouth tugging upward, and decided to indulge himself, sinking back into the pillows for a few more minutes. Even a seasoned soldier was only human; when given a rare chance to unwind, he wanted to be lazy too.
Sheng Wanyan intended to prepare a hearty breakfast. She wanted to make sure the family’s nutrition was top-notch during this recovery period. She cooked a savory pot of pork rib porridge, scrambled some eggs, wilted some Chinese cabbage, and set out small dishes of pickled radishes and mustard greens.
She also brewed two steaming mugs of malted milk. When Gu Tingxiao finally got up and walked into the kitchen, his mouth twitched at the sight of the mug waiting for him. Does my wife think I’m a woman recovering from childbirth?
He couldn’t stand the heavy, sweet scent of milk. “Wanyan… can I skip this?”
“Malted milk is packed with nutrients,” she replied, offering him a sweet but entirely unyielding smile. The look in her eyes made it clear there was absolutely no room for negotiation.
Left with no choice, Gu Tingxiao held his breath and downed the entire mug in one massive gulp. The sugary, milky aftertaste coating his throat made him fiercely uncomfortable, and he quickly shoved a few spoonfuls of porridge into his mouth to wash it away.
Once breakfast was over, Sheng Wanyan took charge of the dishes. Managing his basic needs with one hand was challenging enough for Gu Tingxiao, let alone tackling the washing up. Instead, he grabbed the broom, sweeping out the courtyard with his good hand, watering the vegetable patch, and taking care of whatever other small chores fell within his current capabilities.
Sheng Wanyan gathered the dirty clothes they had discarded the previous night and carried the basin out to the well to start the laundry. Before his injury, Gu Tingxiao had always handled the heavy washing. Having to manage it herself while he was incapacitated gave her a firsthand look at just how grueling washing clothes by the well truly was. Bending over the basin and keeping her head down for so long left her neck stiff and aching.
When she finally finished scrubbing, she stood up to stretch her tight muscles before carrying the wet garments to the front yard to line-dry.
“Thank you for your hard work, my dear wife,” Gu Tingxiao said softly, watching her with a pang of guilt. He knew his wife had been raised with a degree of comfort. Ever since their marriage, he had shielded her from almost every domestic chore except cooking. Now that everything had landed on her shoulders at once, how could he not feel distressed?
Watching her work non-stop from the moment she woke up kept his heart in his throat. Rushing into the kitchen, he poured a glass of warm water and brought it out to her. “Wanyan, have a drink of water.”
Sheng Wanyan accepted the glass, taking a few grateful sips. “I’m going to head to the hospital to check on my brother after lunch. You stay home and look after Maodou.”
Over the past month, the little puppy had grown significantly, but its digestion remained delicate, meaning it still required soft, carefully prepared food.
“Understood.”
Sheng Wanyan rested her aching back for a short while before heading back into the kitchen to prepare lunch. She kept it simple, tossing together a fresh batch of tomato and egg noodles.
While the noodles boiled, she set a pot of pig’s trotter soup to simmer on the stove, intending to bring it to the hospital later. Fortunately, she had accumulated a vast hoard of supplies over the last few weeks, so she didn’t need to invent any elaborate excuses to explain where she was getting the rich ingredients to rebuild Gu Tingxiao’s strength.
“Keep an eye on the fire for me,” she instructed.
Gu Tingxiao hated the thought of her walking out alone, so he insisted on escorting her all the way to the gates of the military quarters before turning back. “Come home early, Wanyan. Don’t stay out past dark.”
Sheng Wanyan nodded reassuringly, hopped onto her bicycle, and pedaled toward the hospital. She had packed three fresh apples and three pears into her bag. While Gu Tingxiao’s injuries weren’t debilitating, her brother was a completely different story.
When she arrived at the ward, she found Pan Yue and her grandparents gathered around the bed. Sheng Wanze had only just regained consciousness a short while ago.
Seeing her walk in carrying such scarce, precious fruit, Grandma Sheng couldn’t help but gently chide her. “You silly child, Xiao Gu is injured too. Why are you wasting your time and resources running over here?”
Sheng Wanyan set the bundle down, answering smoothly, “I’m taking perfect care of Tingxiao at home, Grandma. How is Brother doing?”
“He just woke up, but the doctors say he has to remain hospitalized for at least a full month.” Grandma Sheng’s voice cracked with emotion. The medical team had just finished a comprehensive examination, revealing a litany of secondary injuries across his body. “Even after he’s discharged, he’ll need strict bed rest at home. It will take at least half a year before he’s fully recovered.”
It had taken a miracle to snatch his life back from the jaws of death; she only hoped this scare would finally teach her stubborn grandson to stop being so reckless.
“I’m alright,” Sheng Wanze rasped, his face paper-white and his voice incredibly feeble. Hearing him sound so thoroughly drained of life made Wanyan incredibly uncomfortable. “How is… Tingxiao?”
“A broken bone takes a hundred days to mend. He’s resting safely at home,” Sheng Wanyan replied softly.
Sheng Wanze gave a weak, relieved nod. He was profoundly grateful that they had all made it back across the border alive.
“Grandma, I brought these apples and pears. Be sure to slice them up so everyone can have some,” Wanyan urged, stepping backward toward the door. “I won’t stay any longer. I need to stop by the supply and marketing cooperative to pick up a few household necessities. These are for you and Grandpa—make sure you actually eat them!”
Sheng Wanyan practically fled the room. She knew that if she lingered for even another minute, Grandma Sheng would undoubtedly try to force the precious fruit back into her hands. By making a quick exit, the elders would have no choice but to keep the nourishment.
Grandma Sheng reached out to stop her, but before her old hands could even grasp the bundle, Sheng Wanyan had already darted out into the corridor.
“This girl! What is she running off for?” Grandma Sheng grumbled affectionately. Left with no alternative, she took out a knife and began slicing an apple and a pear to share among the room.
Sheng Wanyan made her way down to the local commune’s supply and marketing cooperative. Now that Gu Tingxiao was back, she wanted to secure some fresh meat to properly feed him. She purchased two pounds of pork, a pound of flaky peach-blossom pastries, and a pound of melon seeds, before rounding out her basket with various vegetables and spices their kitchen was lacking.
Before passing back through the military gates, she slipped five extra apples and pears out of her spatial storage and into her basket.
By the time she wheeled her bicycle back into the courtyard, it was exactly five o’clock in the afternoon—perfect timing to start dinner. Seeing her return laden with packages, Gu Tingxiao hurried over to lift the bicycle over the threshold for her. Despite the injury to his left arm, his dominant right arm possessed immense strength, allowing him to hoist the heavy frame with a single hand effortlessly.
“Did you go all the way to the cooperative?” he asked.
“Yes, I had a bit of spare time, so I figured I’d restock our pantry.”
Gu Tingxiao nodded, following her inside. When Sheng Wanyan stepped into the kitchen, she discovered he had already washed and started the rice cooker for her.
Since Gu Tingxiao needed a mild, clean diet to facilitate his healing, she intentionally avoided any heavy spices or chilis. Instead, she prepared a comforting dish of braised pork with preserved mustard greens alongside a plate of crisp, stir-fried seasonal vegetables.
Paired with the rich pig’s trotter soup, it made for an incredibly lavish spread for a two-person household.
Glancing out the window to ensure Gu Tingxiao was thoroughly distracted playing with Maodou in the backyard, Wanyan quickly uncovered the soup pot and infused the broth with two concentrated drops of spiritual spring water.
She fished out the tender pig’s trotters, chopping them into neat chunks, before ladling half of the enriched broth and meat into a separate container.
Carrying the container out, she handed it to her husband. “Take this across the lane to Grandpa and Grandma’s place.”
